ED seizes under-construction mall belonging to Lalu and family in Patna

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The Enforcement Directorate has reportedly seized an under-construction mall, which was being built by the family of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

This comes more than a year after the central government had issued a notice to Bihar government, asking the authorities to stop the construction work, which was alleged to be part of benami property acquired by Lalu and his family.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi had alleged that Lalu’s son and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had started the construction of the mall without even getting its map cleared from authorities concerned.

Reports say that among the directors of the mall are Tej Pratap Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, and Lalu’s daughters Chanda and Ragini. On February 14, 2017, former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi was also included as one of the directors.

The mall, which is being constructed in Danapur area near Patna, is valued at almost Rs 200 crore. The land on which the mall is being constructed was owned up by Lalu in April 2017. He had claimed that there was nothing illegal in the construction of the mall.

In December 2017, the Enforcement Directorate had seized a three-acre plot of land, worth Rs 45 crore, in Patna, belonging to Lalu and family.

The ED has been probing financial irregularities in a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Lalu Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and other family members.